1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording head for creating an image and to a recording apparatus.
More specifically, the invention relates to an ink jet recording head, and to an ink jet recording apparatus.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Recently, recording apparatuses having the type of ink jet recording have been widely used and are noticed as the instruments for producing digital images. The output apparatuses utilizing ink jet recording include printers, copying machines, word processors, and facsimile machines, which are widely used in offices or household uses.
For applications for the above instruments, a variety of improvements have been made, such as small-size of the recording apparatus, and miniaturization of the ink jet recording head (hereinafter, referred to "recording head"). In addition, in order to reduce the running costs, the improvement includes the design for increasing the capacity of ink in the ink tank for supplying ink to the recording head, and for the cartridge comprising a recording head together with an ink tank. Also, for purposes of improved image quality and high speed recording, the improvements include increase of the number of discharge nozzles, of drive frequency and improvement in ink materials.
Although various instruments using ink jet recording heads to produce images are widely used, these head cartridges are not always commonly used for every instrument. There are some of the recording apparatuses having recording heads, head cartridges, or ink tanks, which have similar configurations or substantially the same dimensions. This is one of the results of cost reduction by common use of component parts or production lines, for preventing cost increase caused by the increase of parts or new investments for new establishment of production lines. As a result, recording heads or head cartridges similar to each other or having substantially the same construction, even though their performance is different, are being designed. Therefore, some devices can be used in common, and the other are disabled or operate erroneously, even though these can be fitted.
For preventing such a malfunction or erroneous mounting of the head or ink tank, some measures are known. As such preventing means, identification ability is provided for heads, cartridges or ink tanks.
Conventionally, for ease of distinction between various recording heads, several methods have been taken, such as (I) providing an identifiable member such as having a projection which is distinguished by the side of the apparatus, or providing uninstallability depending on the difference of the configuration; or (II) providing a ROM in the recording head for writing the information in advance or afterwardly, which is read by a reading means equipped in the recording apparatus to ensure the printing, as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,898.
However, the flow of parts on the production line is disturbed owing to the different configurations of the recording heads, and the cost increase is caused by installing the additional parts such as a RAM.
Alternatively, an addition of a recognition circuit in the heater board including a heating element for bubbling the ink is proposed. Particularly in the bubble jet recording method in which the thermal energy is applied on ink to produce ink bubbles, and the pressure of the produced bubbles is utilized to discharge the ink, a heater board on which a heating resistor or drive circuit is formed, thereby it is possible to provide a recognition circuit or a special resistor for recognition on the same heater board. Still, by independently providing electric resistors or a recognition circuit for recognition, the increase of circuit patterns, wirings or contact pads can prevent the small-sized construction, and the circuit within the apparatus is also complicated by the additional wirings, and the cost increase is inevitable.